Former Ace Speedway champion dies after battling cancer

Published: Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 12:35 AM.

Rodney Cook, the race car driver who became a champion at Ace Speedway, died Tuesday at Hospice Home of Rockingham County after battling cancer.

He was 44.

The Reidsville native’s competition-filled career spanned both dirt- and asphalt-surfaced short tracks throughout the region and various disciplines of racing.

But he was best recognized by the back-to-back Late Models titles he claimed at Ace in 2006 and 2007 in the speedway’s most prestigious division.

Cook delivered Late Models victories with consistency at Ace, collecting a combined 40 wins during a 10-season stretch from 2003-12. He scored at least four victories each season from 2003-10, peaking with seven wins in 2006 and eight wins in 2010.

He finished second in Ace’s final Late Models standings four times (in 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2012).

Cook was a full-time Ace driver as recently as late September 2012, when he completed that season’s 16-race schedule for the Late Models as the runner-up in the points chase.

For years on Friday nights in Altamahaw, his hard-charging style sparked rivalries and created battle lines at Ace, while inspiring the support of an exceedingly loyal fan base.

Yet those barriers disappeared this past season. Cook, unable to race due to the cancer, made several appearances at Ace, emotional visits during which he sometimes was confined to a wheelchair.

Ace took donations and held benefits in an attempt to help Cook with medical expenses.

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Rodney Cook, the race car driver who became a champion at Ace Speedway, died Tuesday at Hospice Home of Rockingham County after battling cancer.

He was 44.

The Reidsville native’s competition-filled career spanned both dirt- and asphalt-surfaced short tracks throughout the region and various disciplines of racing.

But he was best recognized by the back-to-back Late Models titles he claimed at Ace in 2006 and 2007 in the speedway’s most prestigious division.

Cook delivered Late Models victories with consistency at Ace, collecting a combined 40 wins during a 10-season stretch from 2003-12. He scored at least four victories each season from 2003-10, peaking with seven wins in 2006 and eight wins in 2010.

He finished second in Ace’s final Late Models standings four times (in 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2012).

Cook was a full-time Ace driver as recently as late September 2012, when he completed that season’s 16-race schedule for the Late Models as the runner-up in the points chase.

For years on Friday nights in Altamahaw, his hard-charging style sparked rivalries and created battle lines at Ace, while inspiring the support of an exceedingly loyal fan base.

Yet those barriers disappeared this past season. Cook, unable to race due to the cancer, made several appearances at Ace, emotional visits during which he sometimes was confined to a wheelchair.

Ace took donations and held benefits in an attempt to help Cook with medical expenses.